Albert Hammond

Albert Hammond OBE has been a successful pop song writer for almost 50 years. Born in London, England as an evacuee from war torn Gibraltar, Hammond returned to his parents' homeland after the war where he later formed a band called The Diamond Boys, one of the pioneering rock & roll bands in Spain. He later moved back to England and co-founded The Family Dogg, a band which gave him his first taste of chart success when their single 'A Way of Life' went to number six in the UK Charts.

Although he became a relatively successful performer in his own right with songs like 'Free Electric Band' and 'It Never Rains in Southern California', it was as a jobbing songwriter that Hammond found the most success. He wrote a string of successful pop songs for a wide variety of artists, often with either Mike Hazlewood or Hal David as a co-writer. Performers who benefited from the songwriting talents of Hammond include Leo Sayer, Julio Inglesias, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross and scores of other big names. His son Albert Hammond Jnr. is a member of US rock band The Strokes.